Was GOP Senator Anthony Cannella “Selling” of Vote to Raise Taxes by $52 Billion Illegal or Just “Good Politics”

What do you think of when you think of the values and principles of the Republican Party? Public safety? Low taxes? Limited Government? Free speech and personal liberty? In 2001 a Republican Assemblyman, Mike Briggs of Fresno, sold out the people of California for billions in sales tax increases—in exchange for a broken promise. A few years ago five GOP’ers sold us out for an over $5 billion DMV increase.

Just recently the California Republican Party spent lot of money on a “rebranding” study. The vote by a GOP Senator Anthony Cannella, in exchange for promises of money for his pet projects, harms that study. Interesting, almost nowhere in the media is it noted that a Republican gave the decisive vote. Seems like they are protecting him. Also note that while the CRP and loads of Republican officeholders released statements in opposition to the $52 billion tax increase—and told the horrors of the economic disaster for the people of California—no GOP’er mentioned it was a Republican State Senator that caused the bill to be passed—27-11 in the State Senate—with 27 votes needed to make it law without going to a vote of the people.

Is this why the Republican registration in California went down by a net of 306,000 in four years? Or why Decline to State is only 250,000 behind the GOP? Is this how we grow the Party?

Editorial by Stephen Frank, California Political News and Views 4/10/17

In 2001, GOP Assemblyman Briggs, elected to oppose tax increases, voted for a bill that raised statewide sales taxes by billions of dollars a year. In exchange for his vote, he got the following per the Western Farm Press,

In 2002 he was defeated in a Republican primary and never heard again in political circles. But he did get $63 million in tax relief for farmers—NOT. When it came time for Gov. Davis to approve the tax relief, he reneged! Briggs sold out the people of California for an empty promise. It was legal, but smelled like fish dead for seven days and not put in the refrigerator.

Last week, GOP Senator Anthony Cannella was the only Republican that voted in favor of a $52 billion tax increase on the poor and middle class—his constituents. This was the gas/auto registration tax increase. Like Briggs he got a quid pro quo for his district—money for a money losing government train, From his press release:

“For his part, Senator Cannella was successful in securing $400 million in funding for a commuter rail line (though we were told ALL of the money was going to roads and streets) that will connect his district to job centers, and a $100 million investment in an expressway connecting commercial and industrial areas through an integral part of Merced.

“For his part, Senator Cannella was successful in securing $400 million in funding for a commuter rail line that will connect his district to job centers, and a $100 million investment in an expressway connecting commercial and industrial areas through an integral part of Merced.

This effort will certainly benefit the entire state by improving our dilapidated roadways, but my focus has always been ensuring my district is a participant in California’s growth,” Cannella continued.”

What Cannella FAILED to mention is that the train in question will be part of the choo choo to nowhere scam! So when you read the $52 billion is going to roads—that is a lie and Cannella knew it.

What do other Republicans think of Cannella?

Assemblyman Vince Fong, Bakersfield, “This recently passed gas tax will be coupled with another increase in gas prices resulting from a cap-and-trade extension–adding potentially 73 cents per gallon of gasoline. Sacramento is tone-deaf to the fact that their policies are making it unaffordable for families to live and work in California.”

Assemblyman Jay Obernolte, Hesperia, ““This transportation funding plan is the largest gas tax increase in state history and will unquestionably hurt my constituents and Californians throughout the state. As it is, the state already diverts over $2 billion of dedicated transportation funding every year to pay for other programs. Yet the Governor promises that this new tax increase will only be spent on transportation projects. The truth is that the government has already broken its promise to taxpayers on this very issue.”

Assemblyman Jim Patterson, Fresno, ““The sideshow orchestrated by Governor Brown and Sacramento Democrats was just enough to distract politicians from the decades of bait-and-switch by the ruling party. There is already plenty of money to fix our roads and Governor Brown knows it. What he wanted was another blank check from California taxpayers and now, he’ll get it.

“The cost of living in our state is crippling as it is and we don’t have a thing to show for it. The largest tax increase in state history will be shouldered by working families but they won’t have a single new road to drive on. Californians who already pay the highest gas tax, sales tax and income tax, yet drive on the worst roads are fed up.”

Who was behind this $52 billion scam—the unions and the special interests. The California Chamber of Commerce was the lead special interest—knowing this will kill off small busineses and make them less competitive to the giant corporations that finance the Chmaber—and will get the contracts, run by the unions for billion each year. Watch in 2018 as Chamber members finance the Democrat Party and pretend to throw a few bucks to the GOP in comparison.

To all of this, the Party that stands for “limited government and lower taxes” gave the needed vote to scam $52 billion from the poor and middle class of California to finance the rich, the unions and the special interest, the crony capitalists of the California Chamber of Commerce.

That gets us back to the headline and the Saturday Sacramento Bee story, “‘Buying’ the votes for a gas-tax hike: Is it illegal or just good politics?”

“Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes, R-Yucca Valley, said some supporters of the measure, Senate Bill 1, had been “bought off.”

“When was the last time any member of the Legislature got $10 million, let alone $427 million for one group of legislators, and $500 million for another group of legislators?” asked Mayes after the Assembly sent the measure to Brown. “If the goal that we have in the Legislature is to represent all of California, then our goal shouldn’t be, ‘Hey, I’m gonna get my pet project for my district at the expense of someone else.’ ”And what about GOP State Senator Cannella? “An unabashed Cannella said he’s termed out and doesn’t intend to run for other offices. He met late Wednesday at the governor’s mansion with Brown, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount.

“At the end of the day, they delivered,” Cannella said. “I can’t negotiate if I’m not willing to vote for it. I got the things that were important to me.”
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article143450064.html#storylink=cpy

No Senator Cannella—they did not deliver—they promised. I would be happy to give you the phone number for Mike Briggs and you can ask him yourself about how Democrats deliver. Could it be that the $400 million for the choo choo train is actually MATCHING money for the Federal contribution? Did you know the Feds have turned it down? Even if the government union run train gets the money—we will need higher taxes to finance the losses of the train—which gets less than 30% of its operating costs from the fare box.

What Sen. Cannella did was legal—and why folks have no trust or respect for government and the legislature.

Cannella is why we need to be careful about our votes. Which is worse—a Democrat that openly says raise taxes or a Republicans that for two years begs to have taxes ws raised—by $52 billion. Can the 38 million Californians afford Anthony Cannella? Can 5 million registered Republican afford Anthony Cannella. The good news is that he is termed out—the bad news is that he waited to scam Californians when we can not defeat him at the polls.

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Stephen Frank is the publisher and editor of California Political News and Views. He speaks all over California and appears as a guest on several radio shows each week. He has also served as a guest host on radio talk shows. He is a fulltime political consultant.

I think we need a judge to overturn this. If it were a tax cut the demorats would shop a liberal judge. It is obvious that this is another fraud based on pie in the sky and wishful thinking that you (libs) can actually live pollyanna on other peoples money. Howard Jarvis and Pacific Legal Foundation please sue the legislature and moonbeam for fraud.

Cannella and other RINOs is the reason I am not a registered Republican. I am retired and the raise in gasoline tax will not affect me but we all forget that our food is moved by trucks. They will be paying higher gasoline taxes and te price of food will go up. So much for the poor that we care so much